Increase in tanker incidents recorded as information is received from more sources

Published:

06 July 2007 01:57

Updated:

06 September 2011 04:46

INTERTANKO is continuously looking for statistics and other information that can be used to demonstrate and benchmark industry performance and that can be used by the tanker industry improve safety operations and environmental protection.

The best and most reliable information we have are the pollution figures from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) which show that accidental pollution from tankers has been in a steep decline and has reached a low level both with regard to the number of pollution incidents and to the quantity of oil spilt.

For every pollution incident there are many other incidents not causing pollution. INTERTANKO records every tanker incident for all types and sizes of tanker. We commissioned Lloyds Marine Intelligence Unit (LMIU) to produce the incident data for the period 1978 to 2001.Since then we have subscribed to individual incident reports from LMIU to obtain better insight in the nature of tanker incidents. Each incident is recorded and categorised by us although the information on many incidents is limited.

In 2005, and in particular in 2006, INTERTANKO noticed an increase in the number of incidents which was greater than the increase in trade. The information to hand gave no good reason for the increase. INTERTANKO contacted LMIU at the time to ask whether they had any explanation for this development, but we did not then manage to obtain any explanation.

However at a meeting with LMIU last week we asked this question again and were told that the increase in the number of incidents should mainly be attributed to the fact that LMIU now received information from more sources, including private agents. We are now trying to ascertain why this essential information was not available before.

Recorded tanker incidents – all types and sizes

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

Fatalities

13

40

26

65

21

16

Pollution**

1

10

17

15

42

67

TCLs*

0

2

1

2

2

Type cause

Total

%

Total

%

Total

%

No

%

No.

%

No.

%

Collision/contact

36

23%

88

33%

53

33%

42

30%

32

24%

41

15%

Grounding

26

17%

46

17%

33

20%

26

19%

32

24%

39

15%

Fire/Explosion

16

10%

24

9%

15

9%

31

22%

17

13%

14

5%

Hull & machinery

55

36%

74

28%

53

33%

23

16%

34

26%

41

15%

Misc/unknown

20

13%

31

12%

5

3%

17

12%

16

12%

12

5%

Hostilities

1

1%

2

1%

2

1%

1

1%

0

0%

2

1%

Total

154

100%

265

100%

161

100%

140

100%

131

100%

149

56%

Based on reports from LMIU

*1000 tonnes

** Total Constructive losses

The most serious incidents recorded the first half of 2007 were,

In May eight person were killed or missing from a Vietnamese cargo ship after it collided with Gas Shanghai near the mouth of the SaigonRiver.

In March an explosion on the 1,439 GT 1993 built product tanker Maulana transporting diesel on Sumatra islands Siak river killed four crew members. The tanker was empty and had just finished unloading diesel when it caught fire.

In April the 28,017 GT 1985 built chemical/oil tanker Sanmar Symphony, on the way from Durban to Bahrain, was forced to call at Nacala after some of the crew members were overcome by gas and one person died.

There has been some small pollution incidents. In January two Singapore-registered bunker barges, product tanker Seafalcon (1,187 GT, built 1978) and product tanker Frontek (2,836 GT, built 1978), collided near SinagaporesSt. JohnIsland on Thursday resulting in a 200-tonne oil spill.A spill occurred in February in the western province of Bocas del Toro, possibly due to damage in a loading system valve, affecting almost two miles of Chiriqui Grande Bay of Panama. The name of the tanker was uncertain.Combined chemical and oil tank Chemstar Eagle (11951 GT, built 2000) carrying liquid chemicals spilt nine tonnes of oil from a leaking fuel tank, some of which washed up onto the Tuscan coast. Product tanker Quang Duc (1044 GT, built 1979) collided with cargo vessel Vinashin Southern 18 in a river in Ho Chi Minh City this in June, causing 400 liters of oil to spill into the water. Also in June oil was found to have leaked from the starboard fuel oil tank of crude oil tanker Priceless (79718 GT, built 1991) at Ningbo port.

Some 52% of the incidents involved tankers below 10,000 dwt and there were 21 incidents (12%) with tankers above 100,000 dwt. This means that the incident rate to total tanker fleet was highest for the segment 10,000-30,000 dwt (0.020) whereas it is lowest for tankers below 10,000 dwt (0.009).

Looking at the age distribution of the fleet, the incident rate is actually highest for the youngest tankers: